The Hardest Part is Saying Goodbye
by Krosshair
Summary: After Sephiroth's murder of Aerith, Cloud and the rest of the party bid their final farewells to the heart of their team.


"It's alright, Clou-"

She never got to finish her sentence, as the Masamune now protruded from her torso. The deed had been done. The Cetra were now extinct.

Aerith slumped forward, her eyes vacant and lifeless. Sephiroth pulled the sword from out of her, and she slumped over. Everyone else was shocked to the point that they didn't notice the White Materia fall out of Aerith's ribbon and into the waters below. Cloud caught her as she slumped forward, and his voice, audibly breaking, said one word: "Aerith?"

No response.

Tears were now forming in the ex-SOLDIER's eyes, as he exclaimed, "This isn't happening! This can't be real! Aerith, please, wake up!"

Behind him, Sephiroth laughed in a cold and cruel fashion as he drawled, "Do not worry, Cloud. Soon, your little girlfriend will become one with the Lifestream, just like everyone you've known and loved..." Pausing to laugh, Sephiroth continued, "All you can do to stop me is to go to the Northern Crater... you puppet. The 'Promise Land' waits for you and I over the snowy mountains... there, I will become a new being by uniting with the planet, in the same way as your girl-"

Cloud's voice was now the embodiment of tranquil fury, as he said, "Shut up."

Sephiroth looked insulted, and he asked, "Excuse me?"

"The cycle of nature and your stupid plan don't mean a damn thing... Aerith is gone." Sniffling, he continued, "She'll no longer talk, no longer laugh, cry, or... get angry..." His body now racking with sobs, he choked out, "What about us... what are WE supposed to do? What about my pain?"

"Are you saying that you have feelings too?"

"Of course I do! Just who do you think I am?!"

Sephiroth laughed again, and he said, "Stop acting as if you're upset. It's pointless to act as though you're angry either. Because, Cloud, you are my eternal plaything."

With that, Sephiroth flew away, leaving one message in Cloud's head: "The Northern Crater. Meet me there... you puppet."

With Sephiroth gone, everyone joined Cloud to pay their respects to their fallen comrade. Yuffie sobbed into Cloud's shoulder after running over to give Aerith one last hug, Tifa did the same, before running away, her sobs being audible in the distance. Cait Sith, on Mog, walked up to her and stroked her cheek, lamenting, "I'm sorry that last fortune never came true... I'm gonna miss you, Aerith."

Barret Wallace, no stranger to loss, walked up to Aerith and left a flower in her hair, before walking over to where Tifa was, now trying to console her as he shed tears of his own. Cid walked up to Aerith and kissed her hand before looking up to blink away his own tears, as he growled, "You were too good for this world of bastards, little lady..."

Red XIII nuzzled her one last time before howling in grief, and Vincent simply stroked her hair before walking away, leaving Cloud as the last one there. Cloud gingerly scooped up Aerith, before walking to the pool at the outside of the City of the Ancients. As he laid her body on the water, he gave Aerith a kiss on the lips before letting go, and he watched as Aerith's body sank to the depths of the pool, soon to be lost to the Lifestream.

As Cloud forced himself to step away from the pool, everyone else stared at the ex-SOLDIER in a mixture of sadness and pity. Cloud walked back into the city and left a bouquet of flowers at the bloodstained spot where Aerith once was, and he walked out, Sephiroth's message ringing in his ears.

Tifa looked at her childhood friend in concern, and she began, "Cloud..."

Cloud's voice, now robotic, cut her off, and he tersely said, "The Northern Crater. That's where we're going."

He stormed off, the cacophony of voices in his head agreeing on one thing: He was going to have Sephiroth's head for what he had just done.

_**End of Disc One**_

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**Well, how'd you like this? This is a completely different thing from my usual style of writing, so leave a review if you'd like to see more of this kind of stuff from me!**


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